Ultra Shorts
by Joshua The Evil Guy
Summary: A Teraverse Sidestory. The Continuing Adventures (or misadventures) of Ultraman!
1. Utility Belt

Title: Ultra Shorts

Author: Joshua

Disclaimer: First off, for the record, **YES** , _DianeCastle_ has given her permission to post this story as a part of her ongoing 'Teraverse' fanfiction series. Second, the primary source for this fanfic is " _My Secret Identity_ ", created by Fred Fox and Brian Levant and... actually I'm not sure who owns it now. It was produced by Sunrise Films, Scholastic Productions, and Universal Television, but then distributed by NBC, so... yeah. Other crossovers will by cited in the chapters/snips they're revealed in. DianeCastle has already been approached and not only given her approval, she has written a chapter of her own. ENJOY!

Summary: A Teraverse Sidestory. The Continuing Adventures (or misadventures) of Ultraman!

Utility Belt:

"Hey Dr. J!" Andrew Clements called out as he entered the basement laboratory of his mentor and friend.

Doctor Benjamin Jeffcoate jumped at the sudden intrusion to his solitude, before forcing the mild annoyance he felt down and putting on a friendly smile. Not that the latter had to be forced by much, as he genuinely appreciated his young protege's company.

"Hello Andrew," he returned the greeting, putting down his ruined experiment.

"Oh, sorry," Andrew apologized upon seen the spilled mess, "Did I interrupt something?"

"Oh, it was nothing," Jeffcoate sighed. "It's harmless. I merely added a too few many drops when you startled me. Nothing that a cleaning rag won't fix," he remarked even as he took said rag and wiped his hands clean. "Anyway it is good that you're here, Andrew. There is something that I'd like to show you!"

"Yeah," the young adult said as he entered the lab proper. "Mom said that you'd called earlier. That's why I came over. I really gotta learn how to knock when coming down here..."

"While that would be prudent—and appreciated—nevertheless," he replied, "I have a surprise for you, Andrew."

"Is this like that time that..." he started to list.

"No, no, and no," Jeffcoate interrupted, recalling all of the various times that he'd 'surprised' his young friend, only to disappoint him, or have to explain it in detail after the fact. "It's for your... _extracurricular_ activities. Here, I'll show you."

The bespectacled scientist lead the young hero over to a workbench in the corner under the outside windows, so that what was on the bench could not be easily seen through them. On it was an assortment of electronics, pieces of metal, and four distinct items that were composed out of the various spare parts scattered across the work area.

"Dr. J," Andrew asked, "What is all this?"

"I'm so glad you asked, Andrew," the man said with a mischievous smile. Or, at least as mischievous as Dr. Jeffcoate ever got. "You see, I recently went to the cinema with... well," he cleared his throat and quickly moved past that part of the story, "Anyway, I went to the cinemas and was inspired by what I saw. Especially after witnessing your... _debut_ , shall we call it? Personally, I still think working with the military is a mistake, and you've been doing so well for these past few years, and..."

"Dr. J," Andrew rebuked his friend in a tired, and warning tone.

"Yes, well, old arguments," he acknowledged. "Regardless, you have made your stance on the matter quite clear. And as your friend, and mentor, I consider it my duty, and honor, to support you as much as I am able in your decisions. That being said, what better way to support you than to make your... _job_ that much easier. I've been puzzling out ways to do just that, when, as I said, inspiration struck!"

He picked up the right-handed glove—though Andrew hesitated to call it such as there was enough tech and metal attached that it would be better described as a gauntlet or vambrace—and held it before the young man.

"Recall, if you will, Andrew," Jeffcoate began, "when you first received your powers, you were just starting to understand them, and when enabling your null-gravity field, all you could do was float there, as one sees from astronauts in a zero-G environment. In order to achieve any desired motion, you needed to exert a directing force, specifically an aerosolized gas. I believe your personal preference was the... mint-spritz?"

Blushing, Andrew shrugged and nodded, too embarrassed to refute or explain away that particular chapter of his 'superhero career', such as it was.

"Since then, obviously, you've learned how to direct the field, though your top speed in the air remains a modest, but no doubt impressive, 48kph, or thirty miles per hour. _This_ , should greatly increase your effectiveness in the air. Though to be fair, it still utilizes the same principle."

"That's great, Dr. J!" Andrew enthusiastically accepted the gauntlet. As he held it, his expression shifted to one of confusion, even as he fit it onto his hand. "But, uh, what does it do exactly?"

The scientist laughed, and he then demonstrated while saying, "It compresses and recycles the air. It should boost your speed in the air by a considerable amount. There's a system of air-jets that can be attached to the armor you wear, with ports on the hands, feet, and along the back."

"Wow!" Andrew exclaimed. "So, I'll be just like _Ironman_ , with his repulsors and... wait a sec! Inspiration? From the _cinema_? Dr. J! You went to see the Ironman movie! Without _me_!"

"I did offer to take you, Andrew," Jeffcoate reminded him, "But you said that you had a, oh let me recall the term you used, oh yes! A 'hot date', eh?"

Blushing, Andrew quieted down, then frowned in thought as his scientist friend continued on with the next item on the workbench.

"Now this item, while admittedly borrowing concepts from existing technology, I am particularly proud of," he held up a large pair of what looked to be welder's goggles, only they'd cover half the face than just the eyes. "These are Thermal/Low-Light Imaging HUDs. I even tweaked the coding just a bit so things still appear in their normal colors, for the most part, instead of shades of green or gray."

"Whoa, so I can like see at night and stuff!" Andrew exclaimed, putting down the glove and immediately trying out the goggles. Looking out at the lab and Dr. Jeffcoate through a computerized image, showing temperature and a dozen other stats that he only just understood, he really started to feel like he _was_ Ironman!

"Indeed," Jeffcoate remarked with a smile. "And for the finale..." he drew the word out until Andrew had taken off the goggles, "What superhero is complete without a," he held it out with a flourish, "utility belt!"

"Oh my—Dr. J! _Thank you_!" he cried out, hugging the man, grabbing the belt and instantly putting it on. "What all does it...?" he started to ask, reaching out to open or trigger everything on the belt at once.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed as Jeffcoate stopped him and quickly explained, "If you will take a moment to examine it, you'll see that I labeled each item on the belt. Remember your first... adventure as Ultraman? I offered you my special adhesive? You'll find that in the pouch labeled with a 'G', for glue, to make it as simple as possible. My 'Seal&Heal' spray is in the pouches with the Red Cross symbol. I've even taken the liberty to include a supply of the burn cream, which I've continued to improve upon over the years, labeled with the fire symbol. There are other materials and minor inventions that you've seen me develop on there as well, all clearly labeled, and each label embossed so you don't have to actually look and see what you're grabbing."

"Dr. J, this is, this is, this _is_..." Andrew gushed, before suddenly turning serious.

"This is not going to distract me from the fact that my _mom_ went on a 'date' to go see the Ironman movie last weekend," he stated in a tone that could only be matched by a son protecting his mother. "And that's when I told you that I was going out with Jennifer. So, Dr. J," Andrew put on both gloves and the goggles before crossing his arms, "I think you and I need to have a little talk about your intentions toward my mother."

Benjamin Jeffcoate gulped.

END


	2. Best Friends

Title: Ultra Shorts

Author: Joshua

Disclaimer: First off, for the record, **YES** , _DianeCastle_ has given her permission to post this story as a part of her ongoing 'Teraverse' fanfiction series. Second, the primary source for this fanfic is " _My Secret Identity_ ", created by Fred Fox and Brian Levant and... actually I'm not sure who owns it now. It was produced by Sunrise Films, Scholastic Productions, and Universal Television, but then distributed by NBC, so... yeah. Other crossovers will by cited in the chapters/snips they're revealed in.

Summary: A Teraverse Sidestory. The Continuing Adventures (or misadventures) of Ultraman!

Best Friends:

"So," Kirk Stevens, one of Andrew Clements' closest and best friends, asked with a clap of his hands, "how much longer is this gonna take, Doc? Andrew and I have a hot date to get ready for."

"Hot date?" Andrew laughed. "We were going to go shoot hoops, Kirk. Not exactly dinner and a movie with the Milton Twins."

"Yeah, well, as fun as hanging out with Dr. J here is, Andrew, I don't want to be stuck in a lab all day," Kirk said. "Now, what exactly is this experiment that you need our help with, Doc, and how long is is gonna take, huh?"

Andrew and Dr. Jeffcoate exchanged some kind of silent look. Kirk didn't know the scientist as well as he knew his best friend, so he could only interpret half the exchange, but he figured that the man was asking their mutual friend if he was sure about something, and Andrew was emphatic in getting on with it... whatever 'it' was. A bit more back and forth, coupled with urgent whispers, which he couldn't quite make out, and Kirk lost all patience.

"Guys? Any day now!"

"Kirk," Andrew began, taking a deep breath and taking his 'stance', the one when he started lecturing and trying to talk big. Big lug probably didn't even know he did it, Kirk smirked. "I have something I need to tell you. I should have told you sooner, in fact, I actually tried to tell you a bunch of times, but... well, things got complicated and..."

"Andrew," Jeffcoate interrupted. "Stop beating around the bush and just tell him. You've made up your mind, and I am not going to stop you. Besides, we can look at this as sort of a test for when we tell your mother."

Andrew grimaced at the near-constant reminder and nodded. He held his breath, met Kirk's eyes, and then exhaled in a burst. "There really is no 'right way' to tell you this, so... Kirk, I have super powers."

"This again?" Kirk rolled his eyes. "I thought you'd gotten over this whole... having... * _gulp_ * … super powers... thing..." He trailed off as his best friend since Pre-K began levitating several feet off the ground, completely and totally unsupported by any mechanism.

Andrew landed and then proceeded to casually lift a fully-weighted barbell—one handed. He then seemed to blur and vanish and suddenly the puzzles and building blocks and other disassembled brick-a-bract around the room were fully assembled and arrayed before the stunned teenager. Kirk reached up and physically closed his hanging-open mouth.

"You... have super powers," he said, shocked. He was so glad he was already sitting down. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Like Terawatt?"

Again, Andrew and Jeffcoate exchanged a few looks, before the teen answered.

"No, not _exactly_ like Terawatt. I'm different," he answered. "This is going to take a bit to explain here, so just bear with me, alright Kirk?"

"You have my complete and undivided attention," he promised.

"I am Ultraman," Andrew started off. "I helped Terawatt and Action Girl in dealing with that rogue telekinetic a couple months back, and then what the Press are calling the Tepui Battle in dealing with Walsh and the Collective just the other week. I was there. Thing is... if I'm going to keep _being_ Ultraman, and helping Terawatt and Batman and the other superheroes, then I have to tell my Mom, and Steph, and..."

"And me?" Kirk exclaimed, surprised.

Andrew grimaced, picking up where he left of, "And if my family doesn't know and my legal guardian—my Mom—doesn't give her consent, then the government people that work with the superheroes—the SRI—will take steps to make sure that I can't do anything to help, let alone go around as a superhero. I kind of insisted that I could tell you as well, cause... well, you're my best friend Kirk. Er, my only best friend that doesn't already know that is."

"Dr. Jeffcoate knows!?" Kirk slapped his forehead. "Of course Dr. Jeffcoate knows. He's probably the one the gave you your powers! Am I right?"

"Regrettably, yes," Jeffcoate replied through clenched teeth. "And before you ask; _No_! I will not be handing out any more super powers, especially to you Kirk. One irresponsible youth with delusions of superhero status is enough, thank you very much!"

"Hey!" both teen boys shouted in unison.

"Well, regardless, Andrew, I'm honored that you told me your secret," Kirk said. "You can trust me with it, I promise."

"Thanks for saying so, Kirk," Andrew smiled and the two confident young men hugged it out for half a sec. And then the greedy youth kept talking.

"Now, first thing, we have to get you an Agent, and then secure the copyright to all things 'You!', before setting up some kind of TV appearance or..."

"Kirk," Andrew interrupted, while Jeffcoate was slowly disassembling everything that had been put together at super speed earlier. "In all honesty, there was no 'experiment' to do today. That was just the excuse to get you down here so we could tell you without having to worry."

"Worry about what?" Kirk asked, totally lost. "The Collective is toast, so no super villains to worry about... um, right?"

"Without having to worry about you going off and telling everyone in town, Mr. Stevens," Jeffcoate remarked as he finished undoing the last puzzle. He then pulled out his 'hypno-ray device', at least that is how Kirk thought of it, though all it really was were three rotating colored spirals with a light shining through them. "For the record, Kirk, this will be the thirteenth time that we've hypnotized you into forgetting this. I'm hoping that with enough repetitions, it will finally sink in that Andrew's abilities and his role as a superhero _is a Secret_! And thus you cannot tell anyone!"

"Plus, I've already got representation lined up through Terawatt's people," Andrew added. "Driscoll Enterprises? Look, Kirk, I know that you always want to think big and get the biggest slice of pie and all the other metaphors, but I'm not doing this, I'm not _Ultraman_ for the fame, Kirk. I'm Ultraman because I can help people. Because I _want_ to help people! And I can do a lot more as a superhero than as Andrew Clements, superpowers or no."

"But... I've got so many ideas, you've got no..." Kirk stopped himself as he glanced out the window. "When did it get dark? I thought it was only like eight in the morning..." he trailed off as the truth became self-evident. "How many times did you say you'd hypnotized me to forget this, Doc?"

"This will be number fourteen," Jeffcoate replied, as he turned on the device and began reciting the script to make Kirk forget the past few minutes, again.

"So much for lucky number thirteen," Andrew sighed, as Kirk slumped down in his seat.

"I know what I've said about hypnosis leading to changes in a persons behavior, Andrew," Jeffcoate whispered as Kirk started to come around, "but I am beginning to fear that this is the proverbial beating of a dead horse. Are you _sure_...?"

"For the _fourteenth_ time, Dr. J," Andrew whispered back, " _Yes_! I want my best friend, _both_ my best friends in on this. And Terawatt told me herself, I need to have normal friends who know my secret identity to hang out with, otherwise..." He stopped talking briefly as Kirk's eyes snapped open.

"So, how much longer is this gonna take, Doc? Andrew and I have a hot date to get ready for."

"Hot date?" Andrew recited, for the fourteenth time. "We were going to go shoot hoops, Kirk. Not exactly dinner and a movie with the Milton Twins."

"Yeah, well, as fun as hanging out with Dr. J here is, Andrew, I don't want to be stuck in a lab all day," Kirk said. "Now, what exactly is this experiment that you need our help with, Doc, and how long is is gonna take, huh?"

Andrew glanced back at the scientist and quietly finished his earlier statement, "Otherwise, I could lose sight of what is important. We're doing this, Dr. J."

"All right," Jeffcoate sighed. "But I fear we're going to be here for a while.

In the end, as it turned out, the magic number was thirty-seven, and it was eight o'clock in the morning of the following day. In being told just how long they'd kept him in order to keep this secret, it broke through whatever amount of stubborn avarice Kirk had remaining and he was allowed in on the Andrew's Secret Identity once and for all.

END


End file.
